1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coordinates input apparatuses, and more specifically to a coordinates input apparatus that facilitates dragging operation and cursor-moving operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, mice, track balls, etc. are used as pointing devices in connection to computers. Recently, pointing devices called touch pads or track pads are also used.
A touch pad or the like is used either in a form embedded in a portable personal computer or in a form externally attached to a desktop personal computer. Since the device itself need not be moved, as opposed to a mouse, the device can be comfortably operated in a limited space, for example, on a table.
When a cursor is dragged on a screen by a mouse or the like, usually, the mouse is operated so that the cursor on the screen is placed on a desired icon or the like on the screen, then a button provided on the mouse is pressed, and the then the mouse is operated with the button kept pressed so as to move the icon or the like to a desired position.
When the drag operation is performed by a known touch pad, a finger is slid on a flat coordinates input surface of a size on the order of several centimeters square, provided on the touch pad so that a cursor on the screen is placed on a desired icon or the like, then the coordinates input surface is tapped by a finger so that the touch pad enters dragging mode, and then the finger is slid on the coordinates input surface so that the desired icon or the like is moved to a desired position.
In the known touch pad, however, since the size of the coordinates input surface is limited, for example, when a desired icon or the like is moved from one end of the screen to the other end, in order to continue dragging operation when the finger has reached to an end of the coordinates input surface, the finger is once detached from the coordinates input surface and then quickly returned in contact with the coordinates input surface, for example, at a central portion thereof, and is slid again.
In such setting, time between the finger being detached and re-contacted differs from person to person. Thus, drag mode is exit in some cases, possibly causing incorrect operation.
Similarly, when a cursor is moved, operation of moving a finger to one end of the coordinates input surface, detaching the finger from the coordinates input surface and re-contacting the finger at a central portion of the coordinates input surface, and moving the finger again to the end of the coordinates input surface must be repeated, which is rather laborious.